The History The Art of the The History of of Embroidery is the artistic detail added to fabric A sampler is an embroidered piece that was Hand-stitched with a needle and thread. When it was first used, embroidery was just used to patch rips in used purely for practice. The term “sampler” is clothing. People discovered various new stitches derived from the old French term “essamplaire” when they had to make the stitch more durable which means any kind of work that is to be Creations to withstand rough use. Eventually, new copied or imitated. This practice would include materials were introduced and those too difficult stitches, new designs, and numbers and became embroidered onto the clothing. Some of letters that would later become a young lady’s these materials were metal strips, pearls, beads personal work reference. and quills. It is thought that the earliest sampler is from Some of the earliest samples of embroidery around 200B.C. – 300A.D., and was used by have been traced back to ancient Egypt, Persia, someone from the Nazca culture in Peru. Today, China, India, Russia and England. Each culture the oldest surviving samplers are from the 16th had its own unique style based off of the and 17th centuries and originated from Europe. It country’s history and traditions. is however, difficult to explain how the sampler design evolved because there is little to no There are various types of embroidery, but one of samplers that have been found from the 16th the more common ones is cross-stitch. Cross- century. stitch is a type of embroidery where a person counts each thread and follows a specific As the skill of young ladies improved, the simple pattern. stitches of numbers and letters evolved into whole verses of poems or biblical references. Embroidery was a mandatory craft for a young Most times, the verse would have significant lady to learn in the 18th and 19th centuries. It meaning to the young lady, as samplers could was one of the first things a young lady was turn into magnificent pieces of artwork. taught how to stitch. To begin, young ladies were taught how to stitch numbers and letters. As the young lady became more proficient, she would begin learning how to stitch a picture. These pictures would start off basic, maybe with a small boarder, and then the boarder would become more intricate. Eventually, she would be able to stitch a whole picture and boarder. The picture might have been in regards to the verse chosen, or just a picture that they liked. It was said that once a young lady could stitch a The embroidered bookmark pictorial sampler, they were deemed ready to shown above can be found marking wed. a page in a bible located in the large bedroom of the During the 17th and 18th century, samplers were Fultz House Museum. used most commonly for school exercises. Any samplers completed during this time would have been completely cross-stitched. Anne Fitzpatrick, mother of Bennett Fultz, completed a sampler The sampler on the left was stitched by (see picture on previous panel) in 1811 at the Ann Fitzpatrick, mother of Bennett Fultz. Fultz House The sampler is on display in the dining age of eleven. It is possible that she completed room of the Fultz House Museum. this sampler at school. This sampler is on display in the dining room of the Fultz House Museum. Museum

Family Histories What is ? in Fabric

Quilting is a form of art where one gathers pieces of were a great sentimental gift to give on occasions fabric together to form a bed covering or warm garment such as a wedding. As the task of making could be often used for a decorative effect. Quilting can be a long a large undertaking, it was quite common for groups of process, but it is one that many find quite leisurely. women to get together and sew a quilt as a group. When Hundreds of years ago early European settlers introduced this happened, they would all gather, and together, form quilting to North America. This new and exciting craft a masterpiece. This occurred very often as a quilt was a became a very sensible addition to homes because they very valued gift. were warm and added a touch of colour to a home. As some quilts can be quite intricate, they would often Some completed quilts would be given to a person with become family heirlooms. empty squares. These squares were left for the new owner of the quilt to add on if they chose to. An example As quilting became more popular amongst North would be, if the quilt was given to a mother for a baby, Americans, they began to reflect the morals and values the mother might have chosen to sew on a piece of the of their creator. It was also suggested that a quilt could baby’s clothes or a part of a baby’s blanket as a hint at a persons economic and cultural conditions of keepsake. their time. During certain periods in time, certain colours became more popular and were used quite often. During A family could also show their history through a quilt by the Great Depression, a quilter would have used darker making a quilt, but leaving empty squares on the quilt colours as the dark colours reflected the suffering and for others to sew different things onto later. This might sorrow of families. include a handkerchief, old clothing, or embroidery of a favourite verse. By doing this, the family was The two quilts pictured above are kept in the Quilting became a custom that mothers taught to their building a quilt emblazoned with fond memories that Fultz House Museum. The bottom one is decorated daughters. During the 1860s, women of the Fultz family could be remembered for generations. with embroidery whereas the top one is pieced would have spent the harsh winter months quilting. The together with smaller pieces of fabric. Fultz House Museum is home to many quilts, some of which have been made by Fultz family ancestors. Quilting Designs in the 1800s

Various quilt designs originated after blankets began to wear out. To repair these blankets, the blankets were patched, and if they were to badly worn to be repaired, the worn blanket would be combined with another blanket or used as filler inside two blankets. During this time was when early settlers discovered the many different techniques they could use to make their quilts more durable or elaborate.

There were three popular types of quilts in the 1800s. Whole cloth quilts, , and medallion quilts. These quilts along with the patch work quilt and applique quilt could all be made during the 1800s. One of the reasons quilts were so useful was because they used up scraps of fabric so nothing went to waste. During this time, a lot of families struggled with money, and the more they could save, the better. The quilt shown in the above photo was made by Winifred King, daughter of Bennett and Mary The whole cloth quilt was made up out of single pieces of material on top and on the back of the quilt. This quilt was Fultz. The quilt is kept in the Fultz House normally decorated by a padded or pattern which made for a simpler look. These quilts were cheap and Museum. Below is a picture of the tag that is easy to make, which is what made them so popular. sewn into the back of the quilt. The broderie perse quilt detail was done by hand in a style of . The top of the quilt was made out of whole cloth and smaller pieces of fabric were sewn on top of that. This style was favored greatly from the mid 1700 to 1850. However, due to the amount of time and cost, this quilt was not common in an early settler’s home.

The medallion quilt originated in Europe, and was brought to North America by European settlers. This type of quilt was made by first, constructing a central motif and then surrounding that motif with multiple boarders.